Tour de France, Vingegaard sends a message to Pogacar: yellow jersey misplaced after a wild duel

THE LIORAN – Probably the most lovely stage of the Tour, essentially the most lovely race of 2024, crucial victory, maybe, of a complete profession. Sure, for Jonas Vingegaard, a rider who has already gained 2 Tour de France, beating Tadej Pogacar in a two-man dash, uphill, is well worth the world. For the way the Dane arrived at this Tour. For the way he managed to get again on Pogacar in a really robust stage, on the Massif Central, with climbs in sequence in a really unsure finale. A dream, for Vingegaard, a nightmare as an alternative for Pogacar, punished for being overconfident. He noticed Vingegaard fall on the climb, after attacking him 31 km from the end and dropping him on the Puy Mary, he noticed him get better 30” on a second class GPM, he even noticed him beat him within the two-man dash. Third, 25”, a wonderful Evenepoel. Roglic fell when he was with the Belgian engaged within the chase. A fantastic fifth place for Giulio Ciccone.

Now, with half the Tour nonetheless to go, Pogacar’s certainties are beginning to waver regardless of Vingegaard’s acquire for the day, together with bonus factors, being simply 1″.

The Dane is now third at 1’14”, Evenepoel is 2nd at 1’06”. Roglic is fourth at 2’15”, in all probability out of the combat for the victory. Giulio Ciccone enters the highest 10. However what number of issues have we seen and what number of will we see: over the weekend the Pyrenees, within the final week the Alps. All the actual mountains are but to reach. And Vingegaard, who two months in the past was recovering from intensive care, whereas Tadej was strolling on the Giro, emerged like an enormous from the shadow of the extinct volcanoes of Auvergne.

“Devoted to my household”

“It means so much to me,” Vingegaard mentioned tearfully upon arrival, “I might by no means have been capable of do all this with out my household. I’m glad simply to be at this Tour. And it means so much to win this stage, particularly for my household. I couldn’t observe Tadej within the dash. I didn’t assume I might catch him, however I did it. It means so much to win right this moment. I by no means thought I might do it two months in the past. A psychological battle? I didn’t give it some thought.”

The Chronicle

A breakaway goes off within the first, extra hilly stage of the race with Guillaume Martin, Healy, Carapaz, Lazkano, Bernard and others, about ten in all: most benefit 2 minutes. Solely two out of 10 attain the Col de Neronne, the primary of the 4 climbs of the finale: they’re Healy and Lazkano. A right away twist: Van Aert falls on a downhill stretch on the entrance to the Neronne. Pogacar’s assault comes 600 meters from the summit of Puy Mary, the toughest climb. Evenepoel breaks away, Vingegaard is the final to surrender, however the Slovenian passes on the high with 10″ after which will increase on the descent regardless of a skid. Vingegaard is reached by Roglic and the 2 former teammates go in settlement, however the benefit of the yellow jersey will increase to twenty” initially of the Col de Pertus. Vingegaard makes an unbelievable effort at that time, detaches Roglic and will get again on Pogacar with a shifting, at instances determined climb. On the GPM, with the bonus seconds up for grabs (8”, 5”), Pogacar wins the dash. The 2 take a look at one another and launch themselves downhill with about 50” on Roglic and Evenepoel after which go in settlement on the final climb, as much as the end line. Within the dash, surprisingly, it’s Vingegaard who beats a Pogacar who seemed to be fading within the closing a part of the stage. Then Evenepoel jumps Roglic, who has fallen, and manages to carry on to second place within the basic classification. However it looks as if a query of time for the Belgian: the duel for the ultimate victory shall be, as has occurred since 2021, between Pogacar and Vingegaard.